Hanna Cottage

Situated close to the park headquarters at Kinigi village, this property was previously owned by Jack Hanna, the celebrated American zookeeper and conservationist. It has been opened up to accept guests following the closure of nearby Gorillas Nest.

The cottage itself is very pleasant, with cosy dining and lounge areas and two guest rooms. The strange thing is that there is a further dozen rooms in the grounds, but with no further public areas ... apparently they are only used for larger groups. The fact that it is rather bizarrely set on a small golf course may also put some people off.

The main activity is gorilla tracking, supported by golden monkey tracking, both close at hand. Village visits and other walking options are also possible.

Remarkably this tiny portion of the planet hosts almost a third of the world's wild mountain gorillas, with around 250 individuals in 10 troops, of which 8 are habituated to the presence of humans, which means that they can usually be approached without being scared off. This rich rainforest environment also contains over 120 mammal and 350 bird species.

Only 56 gorilla tracking permits are issued each day, so you need to book extremely early and pay up front to secure a spot to visit one of the more interesting and accessible gorilla families.